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Calling Bullshit on Addiction Treatment Bullies!

Calling bull%&@$ on addiction treatment bullies

The "my way or the highway" version of addiction treatment is simply wrong

Published on February 8, 2011

About three years ago, I was attending a national conference on public health (American Public Health Association) and presenting my posters on the relationship between drug use and violence, and sexually transmitted infections and injecting drugs. As I walked the aisles I ran into a woman who runs a Florida addiction "treatment" facility. We talked for a bit about my work, her facility, and then we shared some of our personal stories. Mine included meth addiction, jail, recovery, and now graduate school studying addictions. Everything was great until I mentioned that I now drink alcohol socially... "We'll save a seat for you" she told me as she handed me her business card. Idiot.

Recovery bullies and addiction treatment

As soon as my version of recovery from addiction didn't match her expectations, it was an immediate failure. Forget the 6 years I'd spent free from crystal meth use, the excellent graduate school career that was producing real results I was there to present. Forget the fact that my family, my bosses, and my girlfriend at the time thought I was doing amazingly well - As far as this woman was concerned it was her way, or her way. Well I call bullshit on that thinking once and for all.

Unfortunately for her, the research evidence, as well as the actual human evidence that I've seen, shows that recovery from addiction comes in many colors and flavors, like pretty much everything else in life. We've covered research on all about addiction before showing that the best evidence to date actually calls into question the idea that relapse is the necessary disaster so many paint it as. The fact that the majority of those who meet criteria for drug dependence at some point in their life actually recover on their won is also there, and although this does nothing to reduce the impact of addiction on all those who have an incredibly difficult time quitting, it's there and can't be ignored. Drug dependence is almost certainly not a one size problem and the solution is probably far from a one-size-fits-all, no matter how much you like your own solution.

So there's cognitive behavioral therapy, peer support solutions (like SMART Recovery, Rational Recovery, Life Ring, 12 Step groups like Alcoholics Anonymous, and more), medication-supported recovery (like Suboxone, Methadone, Vivitrol and more), Motivational interviewing and other Motivational Enhancement techniques, as well as a whole host of psychotheraputic approaches that are more eclectic. No research we have to date indicates that any of these approaches is necessarily more effective than others, which means that they are all essentially equally effective. We've already talked about some combinations that work very well together, like PHP programs for physicians, but there is absolutely nothing to indicate that the 12-steps (for examples) are somehow superior to CBT, or Rational Recovery, when it comes to treating addiction.

If you get better, you're a success in my book

When it comes down to it, whether this Florida 12-stepper likes it or not, I am still a social drinker and I still don't believe that this nullifies any of my other achievements or my successful recovery. More importantly, it doesn't nullify the success of millions of others, no matter how poorly it fits with some people's notions. When a life gets overrun by drug use or another addiction, a successful outcome to me means recapturing a functional life that is no longer dictated by the pursuit of that addictive behavior. Anything more or less is a personal preference sort of thing. The problem with these idiots who will absolutely ignore success because it doesn't conform to their expectations is that they drive people out of treatment and away from success and that is not okay. I'll continue to call them out for their narrow mindedness and hopefully eventually, their voice will be far from the dominant one.

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